Door-latch.



G. D. SMITH.

DOOR LATCH.

Patented Feb. 15,1910.

CHARLES 1). SMITH, or rams, ILLINOIS.

DOOR-LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 17, 1909.

'latented Feb. 15, 1910.

Serial No. 508,187.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES D. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Paris, in the county of Edgar and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Door-Latch, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to latches designed for use on outside doors of barns, cribs, graneries and warehouses and has for an object to provide a device of this cha 'acter which may be used on a sliding door that contains a swinging door and will secure both doors with one latch.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which will be reversible and which can easily be applied to either a right or left hand door.

A still further object is to provide a device of this character which may easily be locked with a padlock on the inside, when necessary, and when not so locked can be opened either from the outside or inside.

It is well known that in all out buildings there is a tendency for the doors to warp after long exposure to the weather and great difliculty is experienced in securely locking these doors when so warped. To overcome this difficulty my present invention employs a metal base plate which is secured to the door and prevents the swiveled latch bar from coming in contact with any portion of the wood-work of a door, the base plate further providing a true bearing surface for the latch under all the various conditions of usage to which it may be subjected.

\Vith the above advantages and other objects in view which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, my invention consists of the novel details of construction and combination of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawin s shown in the following specification and set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,--Fi 'ure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a door and jamb showing a latch constructed in accordance with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the latch taken on the line AB Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow-heads. Fig. 3 is a detail view in elevation of the latch handles.

In a more detailed description of my invention in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the views shown,

1 designates a portion of a door of any approved form of construction, and 2 designates a portion of the side frame of the same.

To the side frame 2 is secured a keeper 3 which is provided with a catch l substantially tri-angular in marginal contour for guiding the latch-bar into engagement with the shoulder 5 if the keeper is secured to a right hand door as shown, or the shoulder 6 if the keeper is reversed in position and secured to a left hand door. The keeper is reinforced to resist the jars of latching, by an integral plate 7 secured longitudinally to the side frame of the d00' and abutting the rear lateral face of the keeper.

The base plate 8 of the latch comprises a llat metal strip terminating at one end in a substantially circular extension 9 and at the other in a transversely disposed arm 10. The function of this extension 9 is to provide a true bearing surface for the latch bar and also to prevent the same from coming into contact with the surface of the wood, the advantage of this construction being to prevent any tendency of the latch-bar to buckle and consequently bind or jam in the keeper when the door has been warped out. of shape from severe weather conditions.

Projecting laterally from the base plate 8 and terminating [lush with the reverse side of the door is a tubular bearing 11, the pur pose of which will presently appear.

The latch-bar '12 comprises a ll'lOftllllC strip terminating at one end in a substantially triangular head 13 which is adapted to hook over the upper or lower shoulder of the keeper according as the latch is secured to a right or left hand door. The advantage resulting from the peculiar shape of this head is that the latch will readily slide into engagcmcnt with the keeper as the latch is slid to its closed position, the latch gravitating when the door has reached its final position, and being lockingly held in this position by the lower shoulder ll abutting the lateral face of the keeper. In case the latch is secured to a left hand door it is evident that the shoulder 15 will lockingly engage the keeper, as above described. The opposite end of the latch-bar is expanded to provide a disk-like extension 16 of which the peripheral edge is concentric with the pivot of the latch bar and provided with a notch 16' that registers with a finger 17 carried by the circular extension 9 to permit the mounting and removal of the latch bar. The finger 17 extends over the disk-like extension, as shown and retains the latch bar in position. The latch bar is secured to the transversely disposed arm 10 of the base plate by a keeper 18. The keeper 18 is depressed ad j acent its ends to form shoulders 19 to limit the upward movement of the latch, and terminate in lugs 20 which are suitably secured to the transverse arm 10 of the base-plate adjacent the ends thereof. To limit the downward movement of the latch a screw 21 is engaged through the lower of a pair of annular openings 22 formed adjacent the shoulders 19 of the latch and upon which the lower edge of the latch bears when the latch is in its final or closed position. When the latch is reversed in position to be applied to a left hand door, the stop screw 21 is inserted through the upper of the pair of annular openings shown in the drawings.

The pivot of the latch bar consists of a tubular shank 23 one end of which is engaged through the before mentioned tubular bearing 1 and is terminally adapted to receive a cross-bar constituting a handle 24., as shown. The other end of the tubular shank 23 extends beyond the exposed face of the disk-like extension and is also provided with a cross-bar constituting a handle 25.

Owing to the various thicknesses of the outside doors of out buildings the tubular shank 23 is made preferably in sections, as shown in Fig. 3, the sections being joined together by alternate interfitting projections and depressions, as shown.

Positioned on the transverse arm of the base plate is an rip-standing lug 26 provided with an annular opening 27 registering with a similar opening 28 formed in an upstanding lug 29 carried by the latch-bar. Through these openings may be engaged a pintle, pad-lock, or other similar locking device in order to lock the latch from the inside or outside depending upon where the latch is attached, if attached on the inside, it may be locked on the inside, if attached on the outside it may be locked on the outside.

The peculiar shape of the catch a and head 13 of the'latch-bar is of particular advantage in a latch of this kind, as the latch may be secured to a sliding door or a swinging door and work equally advan tageously. The latch may also be secured to a sliding door that contains a swinging door and will secure both doors at the same time.

Positioned on the reverse side of the door is a rose 30 of the usual and well known construction, which prevents the admission of water to the interior of the latch.

It is evident, that a latch of this kind may be placed on either the inside or the outside of a door and the door may be either a swinging door or a sliding door, and in addition may be left handed or right handed.

The screws securing the base plate 8' to the door and two of the screws securing the keeper at to the side frame of the door are covered when the latch is locked with a padlock, the advantage of this construction being that when the latch is secured to the outside of a door it will not be easily tampered with or removed from position by unauthorized persons so that the latch is practically burglar-proof.

The latch is fastened automatically when either a swinging door or a sliding door to which it is secured is closed by the wind or slammed by any other cause. Then po sitioned on a sliding door, the latch bar 12 slides over and into the keeper 4, when on a swinging door the latch-bar 12 rises when it strikes the keeper 4: and moves over the shoulder and drops downward beyond either shoulder 5 or 6 as above described.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought that the construction and operatic-11 of my invention will be easily understood without a'more extended explanation, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be made without sacrificing any of the advantages or departing from the spirit of the invention.

l Vhat is claimed is 1. In a latch, a base plate having a finger and a latch bar pivoted on said base plate and having a disk-like extension an edge of which is concentric with the pivot of the latch bar and is provided with a notch for registration with said finger to permit the mounting and removal of the latch bar.

2. The combination with a pivoted latch, of a keeper therefor having terminal permanent stops and an interchangeable stop, and means for mounting the same to limit the movement of said latch in either direction.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES D. SMITH. Witnesses F. G. CREToRs, C. H. LAMB. 

